B. Job's Reply: Assertion of his innocence, and a mournful description of the incomprehensibleness of his suffering as a dark horrible destiny: Chap. IX., X. 1. God is certainly the Almighty and ever-righteous One, who is to be feared; but His power is too terrible for mortal man: chap. ix. 2-12. 2. The oppressive effect of this omnipotence and arbitrariness of God impels him, as an innocent sufferer, to presumptuous speeches against God: chap. ix. 13-35. 3. A plaintive description of the merciless severity with which God rages against him, although, as an Omniscient Being, He knows that he is innocent: ch. x. 1-22. III. Zophar and Job: Chaps. XI.—XIV. A. Zophar's violent arraignment of Job, as one who needs to submit in penitence to the allseeing and all-righteous God: Chap. XI. 1. Expression of the desire that the Omniscient One would appear to convince Job of his guilt: vers. 2-6. 2. Admonitory description of the impossibility of contending against God's omniscience, which charges every man with sin: vers. 7-12. 3. The truly penitent has in prospect the restoration of his prosperity, for the wicked however there remains no hope: vers. 13-20. B. Job's Reply: Attack upon his friends, whose wisdom and justice he earnestly questions: Chaps. XII-XIV. 1. Ridicule of the assumed wisdom of the friends, who can give only a very unsatisfactory description of the exalted power and wisdom of the divine activity: chap. xii. 2. The resolution to betake himself to God, the righteous Judge, who, in contrast with the harshness and injustice of the friends, will assuredly do him justice: chap. xiii. 1-22. 3. A vindication of himself addressed to God, beginning with the haughty asseveration of his own innocence, but relapsing into a despondent cheerless description of the brevity, helplessness, and hopelessness of man's life: chap. xiii. 23-xiv. 22. Second Series of controversial discourses. The Entanglement increasing: Chaps. XV.-XXI. I. Eliphaz and Job: Chaps. XV.—XVII. A. Eliphaz: God's punitive justice is revealed only against evil-doers: Chap. XV. 1. Recital, with accompanying rebuke, of all in Job's discourses and conduct that is perverted, and that bears witness against his innocence: vers. 2-19. 2. A didactic admonition on the subject of the retributive justice of God in the destiny of the ungodly: vers. 20-35. B. Job: Although oppressed by his disconsolate condition, he nevertheless wishes and hopes that God will demonstrate his innocence against the unreasonable accusations of his friends: Chaps. XVI., XVII. (A brief preliminary repudiation of the discourses of the friends as aimless and unprofitable: chap. xvi. 2-5). 1. Lamentation on account of the disconsolateness of his condition, as forsaken and hated by God and men: chap. xvi. 6-17. 2. Vivid expression of the hope of the future recognition of his innocence: chap. xvi. 18-xvii. 9. 8. Sharp censure of the admonitory speeches of the friends as unreasonable, and as having no power to comfort: chap, xvii, 10-16. II. Bildad and Job: Chaps. XVIII., XIX. A. Bildad: Job's passionate outbreaks are useless, for the divine ordinance, instituted from of old, is still in force, securing that the hardened sinner's merited doom shall suddenly and surely overtake him: Chap. XVIII. 1. Sharp rebuke of Job, the foolish and blushing boaster: vers. 2-4. 2. Description of the dreadful doom of the hardened evil-doer: vers. 5-21. B. Job: His misery is well-deserving of sympathy; it will however all the more certainly end in his conspicuous vindication by God, although not perhaps till the life beyond: Chap. XIX. (Introduction: Reproachful censure of the friends for maliciously suspecting his innocence: vers. 2-5). 1. Sorrowful complaint because of the suffering inflicted on him by God and men: vs. 6-20. 2. An uplifting of himself to a blessed hope in God, his future Redeemer and Avenger: vers. 21-27. 3. Earnest warning to the friends against the further continuance of their unfriendly attacks: vers. 28, 29. III. Zopbar and Job: Chaps. XX., XXI. A. Zophar: For a time indeed the evil-doer can be prosperous, but so much the more terrible and irremediable will be his destruction: Chap. XX. 1. Introduction, violently censuring Job, and theme of the discourse: vers. 2-5. 2. Expansion of the theme, showing from experience that the prosperity and riches of the ungodly must end in the deepest misery: vers. 6-29. B. Job: That which experience teaches concerning the prosperity of the wicked during their life on earth argues not against, but for his innocence: Chap. XXI. 1. Calm, but bitter introductory appeal to the friends: vers. 2-6. 2. Along with the fact of the prosperity of the wicked, taught by experience, (vers. 7-16), stands the other fact of earthly calamities befalling the pious and righteous: vers. 7-26. 3. Rebuke of the friends for setting forth only one side of that experience, and using that to his prejudice: vers. 27-34. Third Series of controversial discourses: The Entanglement reaching its extreme point: Chap. XXII-XXVIII. I. Eliphaz and Job: CHAP. XXII.-XXIV. A. Eliphaz: Reiterated accusation of Job, from whose severe sufferings it must of necessity be inferred that he had sinned grievously, and needed to repent. Chap. xxii. 1. The charge made openly that Job is a great sinner: vers. 2-10. 2. Earnest warning not to incur yet severer punishments: vers. 11 20. 3. Admonition to repent, accompanied by the announcement of the certain restoration of his prosperity to him, when penitent: vers. 21-30. B. Job: Inasmuch as God withdraws Himself from him, and that moreover His allotment of men's destinies on earth is in many ways most unequal, the incomprehensibleness of His dealings may thus be inferred, as well as the short sightedness and one-sidedness of the external theory of retribution held by the friends: chapter xxiii-xxiv. 1. The wish for a judicial decision by God in his favor is repeated, but is repressed by the agonizing thought that God intentionally withdraws from him, in order that He may not be obliged to vindicate him in this life: Chap. xxiii. 2. The darkness and unsearchableness of God's ways to be recognized in many other in- stances of an unequal distribution of earthly prosperity among men, as well 1. Sharp Rebuke of Bildad: vers. 2-4. 2 Description of the incomparable sovereignty and exaltation of God, given to eclipse the III. Job alone: His closing address to the vanquished friends: CHAP. XXVII.-XXVIII. a. Renewed solemn asseveration of his innocence, accompanied by a reference to his joy in God, which had not forsaken him even in the midst of his deepest misery: Chap. xxvii. 2-10. b. Statement of his belief that the prosperity of the ungodly cannot endure, but that they must infallibly come to a terrible end: Chap. xxvii. c. Declaration that true Wisdom, which alone can secure real well-being, and a correct solution of the dark enigmas of man's destiny on earth, is to be found nowhere on earth, but only with God, and by means of a Second Chief Division of the Poem. Disentanglement of the mystery through the discourses Setting forth the truth that his suffering was not due to his moral conduct, that it must have therefore a deeper cause. [The negative side of the solution of the problem.] 1. Yearning retrospect at the fair prosperity of his former life: Chap. xxix. a. Describing the outward aspect of this former prosperity: vers. 2-10. b. Pointing out the inward cause of this prosperity-his benevolence and c. Describing that feature of his former prosperity which he now most pain- fully misses, namely, the universal honor shown him, and his far- reaching influence: vers. 18-25. 2. Sorrowful description of his present sad estate: Chap. xxx. a. The ignominy and contempt he receives from men: vers. 1-15. b. The unspeakable misery which everywhere oppresses him: vers. 16-23. 3. Solemn asseveration of his innocence in respect to all open and secret sins: Chap. xxxi. a. He has abandoned himself to no wicked lust; vers. 1-8. b. He has acted uprightly in all the relations of his domestic life: vers. 9-15. c. He has constantly practiced neighborly kindness and justice in civil life: vers. 16-23. d. He has moreover not violated his more secret obligations to God and his neighbor: vers. 24-32. e. He has been guilty furthermore of no hypocrisy, nor mere semblance of holiness, of no secret violence, or avaricious oppression of his neighbor: vers. 33-40. Second stage of the disentanglement: Chap. xxxii.-xxxvii. Elihu's Discourses, Devoted to proving that there can be really no undeserved suffering, that on the contrary the sufferings decreed for those who are apparently righteous are dispensations of divine love, designed to purify and sanctify them through chastisement. [The first half of the positive solution of the problem]. Introduction: Elihu's appearance, and the exordium of his discourse, giving the reasons for his speaking: Chap. xxxii. 1-xxxiii. 7. 1. Elihu's appearance (related in prose): Chap. xxxii. 1-6 a. 2. An explanation addressed to the previous speakers, showing why he takes part in this controversy: vers. 6-10. 3. Setting forth that he was justified in taking part, because the friends had shown, and still showed themselves unable to refute Job: vers. 11-22. 4. A special appeal to Job to listen calmly to him, as a mild judge of his guilt and weakness: Chap. xxxiii. 1-7. First Discourse: Of man's guilt before God: Chap. xxxiii. 8-33. a. Preparatory: Reproof of Job's confidence in his perfect innocence : vers. 8-11. b. Didactic discussion of the true relation of sinful men to God, who seeks to warn and to save them by various dispensations, and communications from above: vers. 12-30. a. By the voice of conscience in dreams: (vers. 15-18). B. By sickness and other sufferings (vers. 19-22). y. By sending a mediating angel to deliver in distress (vers. 23 seq.). c. Calling upon Job to give an attentive hearing to the discourses by which he would further instruct him: vers. 31-33. Second Discourse: Proof that man is not right in doubting God's righteousness: Ch. xxxiv. a. Opening: Censure of the doubt of God's righteousness expressed by Job: vers. 1-9. b. Proof that the divine righteousness is necessary, and that it really exists: a. From God's disinterested love of His creatures: vers. 10-15. B. From the idea of God as ruler of the world: vers. 16-30. c. Exhibition of Job's inconsistency and folly in reproaching God with injustice, and at the same time appealing to his decision: vers. 31-37. Third Discourse: Refutation of the false position that piety is not productive of happiness to men: Chap. xxxv. a. The folly of the erroneous notion that it is of small advantage to men whether they are pious or ungodly: vers. 1-8. b. The real reason why the deliverance of the sufferer is often delayed, viz.: a. The lack of true godly fear: vers. 9-14. B. Dogmatic and presumptuous speeches against God, which was the case especially with Job: vers. 15-16. Fourth Discourse: A vivid exhibition of the activity of God, which is seen to be benevolent, as well as mighty and just, both in the destinies of men, and in the natural world outside of man: Chap. xxxvi.-xxxvii. [Introduction-announcing that further important contributions are about to be made to the vindication of God: Chap. xxxvi. 1-4]. a. Vindication of the divine justice, manifesting itself in the destinies of men as a power benevolently chastening and purifying them: Chap. xxxvi. 5-21: a. In general: vers. 5-15. B. In Job's change of fortune in particular: vers. 16-21. b. Vindication of the Divine Justice, revealing itself in nature as supreme power and wisdom: Chap. xxxvi. 22; xxxvii. 25. a. Consideration of the wonders of nature as revelations of divine wigdom and power: ch. xxxvi. 22—xxxvii. 13. (1) Rain, clouds and storms, lightning and thunder: ch. xxxvi. 22-xxxvii. 5. (2) The agencies of winter-such as snow, rain, the north wind, frost, etc. Ch. xxxvii. 6-13. 8. Finally admonitory inferences from what precedes for Job: ch. xxxvii. 14-24. The third stage of the disentanglement: ch. xxxviii. 1-xlii. 6. Jehovah's Discourses: the aim of which is to prove that the Almighty and only wise God, with whom no mortal should dispute, might also ordain suffering simply to prove and test the righteous. [The second half of the positive solution of the problem.] First Discourse of Jehovah, together with Job's answer: With God, the Almighty and only wise, no man may dispute: ch. xxxviii. 1—xl. 5. 1. Introduction: The appearance of God; His demand that Job should answer him: ch. xxxviii. 1-3. 2. God's questions touching His power revealed in the wonders of creation: ch. xxxviii. 4-xxxix. 30. a. Questions respecting the process of creation: vers. 4-15. b. Respecting the inaccessible heights and depths above and below the earth, and the forces proceeding from them: vers. 16-27. c. Respecting the phenomena of the atmosphere, and the wonders of the starry heavens: vers. 28-38. d. Respecting the preservation and propagation of wild animals, especially of the lion, raven, wild goat, stag, wild ass, oryx, ostrich, war-horse, hawk and eagle: ch. xxxviii. 39-xxxix. 30. 3. Conclusion of the discourse, together with Job's answer announcing his humble submission: ch. xl. 1-5. Second Discourse of Jehovah, together with Job's answer: To doubt God's justice, which is most closely allied to His wonderful omnipotence, is a grievous wrong, which must be atoned for by sincere penitence: ch. xl. 6-xlii. 6. 1. Sharp rebuke of God's presumption which has been carried to the point of doubting God's justice: ch. xl. 7-14. 2. Humiliating demonstration of the weakness of Job in contrast with certain creatures of earth, not to say with God: shown by a description a. Of the behemoth (hippopotamus): ch. xl. 15-24. b. Of the leviathan (crocodile), as king of all beasts: ch. xl. 25-xli. 26. |